IT HAS BEEN 23 YEARS SINCE YOU FOUNDED YOUR COMPANY, HOW WOULD YOU CLASSIFY WHERE YOU’VE REACHED AND ARE THERE ANY AMBITIONS YOU HAVE YET TO REALISE? [Zuhair Murad] I’m very happy with and grateful for how far I have come. I’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point.…
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HOW DID YOU END UP WORKING IN THE WATCH INDUSTRY? [Christian Knoop, Creative Director at IWC Schaffhausen] Watch design was always something I looked at as a source of inspiration and admiration. I am a trained industrial designer and have worked on vastly different products, ranging from consumer electronics to…
Both for countries across the Middle East and around the world, life as we know it came to a grinding halt in early March 2020. As a result it has become crystal clear how fragile our existence is. Talk about a reality check. Despite all the technology we’ve implemented, the…
The Modist may be no more, but back in February 2019 (issue 73), it was just two years old and definitely on the rise. So we spoke to Ghizlan Guenez, the founder of this conservative fashion e-retailer, as she was on a quest to dispel the notion that modesty means being…
It’s been quite a rollercoaster ride for Saudi businesswoman Princess Deena Aljuhani Abdulaziz. The former Editor of Vogue Arabia has moved on from her dramatic and highly publicised ousting but she’s holding on to her crown as one of the Middle East’s main fashion protagonists. As far as magazine launches…
Bill Gates is not wearing a seatbelt. I worry about his safety as we speed along the cleared roads of Ethiopia’s capital, Addis Ababa, flanked by military outriders, but his aides either don’t notice or know not to mention it, so I decide I shouldn’t wear one either. The goats…
2019 was a strong year for LVMH and its owner, Bernard Arnault. They acquired Tiffany & Co. for 16.2 billion USD, opened a third LV factory in the US (the world’s largest luxury market) and ended the year 82 billion USD up in terms of market value. You would therefore…
Launched just last September, Dubai-based Maison Orient is a newcomer to the e-commerce scene that’s creating a space exclusively for talent from this side of the world. “When I started discovering amazing talent from different countries, I realised how under-represented they are,” says founder Ayse Arel, a Turkish-American who previously…
Kenneth Ize, remember the name. The Lagos-born and based designer was a finalist of the LVMH Prize for emerging talent, and he’s putting Africa on the fashion map. It’s the kind of exuberant fabric you might see at a Nigerian wedding. Hand-woven by artisans using a technique developed by the…
Architect Lina Ghotmeh digs into Lebanon’s heritage to create a contemporary landmark that’s as innovative as it is nostalgic. The urban landscape across from the Port of Beirut has undergone a small but significant change. At the edge of Saifi and just beyond Downtown Beirut’s eastern boundary now stands Stone…